Heroic Poses
by Dragonmaster1
Summary: Dee reflects on what it means to be a hero.


**Title: Heroic Poses**

**Author: Dragonmaster**

**Rating: PGish.**

**Genre: General**

**Fandom: FAKE**

**Pairings: Dee/Ryo (mainly just implied.)**

**Distribution: Want it, take it. Just email me first so I know where my fics are going. **

**Feedback: I crave it like a British whore. Send it to or None, really. Implied slash/yaoi/whatever you call m/m relationships. Also, I'm mainly a Buffy writer, so this will be my first foray into the world of FAKE.**

**Disclaimer: Sanami Matoh owns all things FAKE. The first line is from The Red Badge of Courage.**

**Summary: I wrote this for English Honours, aka Hell 101. The assignment was to take a line from Red Badge, which the teacher gave to us, and write a short drabble-type story using that line as the first sentence. Dee reflects on his job and what it means to be a "hero."**

**Heroic Poses**

**By: Dragonmaster**

There was a singular absence of heroic poses. Rescued hostages sat weeping on the floor as their captors were stuffed unceremoniously into squad cars. The police officers' only expressions were those of fatigue and exhaustion, most of them having been on shift since early that morning. It had been a long day.

Detective Dee Laytner of New York's 27th precinct let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his ebony coloured hair. He hadn't expected his night to end up like this. He had planned on finishing up his reports at the station, then heading home in time to grab a quick dinner and a Knicks game on television. Things had not gone according to plan.

Dee's partner, Randy "Ryo" McLane, walked up beside him, his sniper equipment slung across his shoulders. Ryo had been the one to take down the first perpetrator, nailing the man in the leg with a shot from his rifle. The sharpshooter in the opposite building had taken down the second man.

"Long night," Ryo commented, brushing his sandy hair out of his eyes. Dee merely nodded, silent for what seemed like the first time in his life.

He knew that he would never get used to the carnage and senseless acts of violence that he saw on a daily basis, but that knowledge didn't make his job any easier. He had chosen to become a detective in the homicide division with the knowledge that he would encounter many difficulties in his job, but that didn't sway his decision.

Dee glanced over at the body of a young girl, who was perhaps no more than ten years old, being carefully encased in a black impersonal body bag by the EMTs. This was one of those difficulties.

"Dee?"

Ryo's soft voice drew his attention away from the corpse. His partner's gentle onyx eyes held a deep pain that he knew was mirrored in his own.

"Do you want to stay at my place? Your commute won't be as long in the morning."

Dee nodded. "Yeah," he said, trying to hide the pain in his voice. He was supposed to be the tough one; the one who could see the most gruesome of murders and not bat an eye; but, right now, all he wanted was for someone else to be the strong one.

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said tiredly, leaning against the older man for support.

Ryo waved their commissioner over and Dee resisted a scowl as the blonde man headed over to them. He had never gotten along with Commissioner Rose.

"What do you need, McLane?" Rose asked curtly, preoccupied with his discussion with Chief Smith.

"May I take Dee home? He's not feeling too well and I'm sure that the blood smell isn't helping." Ryo nudged Dee sharply in the ribs. The raven-haired man took the hint and immediately affected a sick expression.

Rose glared suspiciously at Dee, but he had never known Ryo to lie before. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Fine, but if I find out you're playing me false, Laytner, I'll have your hide; am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Dee muttered, trying not to let too much disdain drip into his voice. Ryo murmured a quick thanks before leading Dee over to their car.

The ride back to Ryo's Manhattan apartment was done in silence. Ryo drove; another peculiarity, as Dee usually insisted on driving because he thought his partner drove like an old woman.

Dee could almost feel Ryo's curiosity. The older man knew him better than he knew himself.

"Why do people consider us to be heroes?" Dee asked quietly, startling Ryo with the sudden breach of silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Police officers. People look at us cops like we're heroes," Dee explained, staring absently out the window. "We're not heroes. If we were, then we would've been at the location before that kid got killed today. We would've caught the perp before he captured anyone. If we were heroes, then Ted wouldn't be in the hospital right now. We're not heroes; we're your average guys just trying to make a living by posing as heroes." He laid his head on Ryo's shoulder. "I'm just sick of it."

Ryo was silent for a few long moments, his only focus seeming to be on getting through the traffic. "In some ways, I agree with you," he said slowly, planning out his words carefully. "But think about the people you've saved. You're their hero because you were able to save them." He smiled faintly at the younger man. "Besides, you're nothing like the average joe, Dee."

Dee chuckled wryly, closing his eyes and burying his face deeper into Ryo's shoulder. "Glad someone thinks so," he mumbled. He smiled as a thought occurred to him, a memory from a few years past. "You're a hero too then, Ryo."

"Hm?"

Dee twisted in his seat so he could see Ryo's face. "You saved me. About two years ago, when you stopped me from killing that guy who almost killed Mother. I know it wasn't my life that you saved, but you still saved me nonetheless."

Ryo grinned at him, amusement and another emotion that Dee couldn't name twinkling in his onyx eyes. "So I'm your hero?"

"Yeah," Dee replied, returning the grin. "You're my hero."

Owari

**Author's Note: Hopefully the psycho bitch from hell, aka my teacher, won't pick up on the slash... I did add a disclaimer to the original, so she does know that I'm basically doing a semi-legal version of copyright theft. Heh. Feedback is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thanks again!**


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